


Asleep on the Phone

by onedaysomedaytoday



Series: Big family of Skaters [4]
Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Banter, Cute phone calls, Discussing Reki, Fluff, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, The parent's talk, Worried Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29839173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onedaysomedaytoday/pseuds/onedaysomedaytoday
Summary: Joe liked to think of himself as a calm and rational man, however when Shadow called him last night, he was anything but calm and rational.ORJoe and Cherry discuss the red flags that Reki shows, and they have a fun phone conversation.
Relationships: Chinen Miya & Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, Chinen Miya & Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Hasegawa Langa & Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, Hasegawa Langa & Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Kyan Reki & Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, Kyan Reki & Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Nanjo Kojiro | Joe & Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, pre-relationship Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Series: Big family of Skaters [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161512
Comments: 78
Kudos: 512
Collections: I need love





	Asleep on the Phone

Joe liked to think of himself as a calm and rational man, however when Shadow called him last night, he was anything but calm and rational. 

The phone call itself was rather short all Shadow said was to watch the video then he hung up immediately.  _ It must be a cute video of the kids _ , Joe reasoned with Shadow’s strange behavior especially since he had just received a picture of the kids from Shadow. 

Joe clicked on the video. 

Joe’s heart sank. 

Joe zooms in on the video and screenshots the picture of Reki’s scar. 

Joe dials Cherry. 

After three rings Cherry picked up, and both men were slight for a moment, Joe cut the tension by asking, “Did you see it?” 

“Yes and I’m currently hacking into the police stations files to find and records of abuse in our prefecture.” Cherry answered as he was typing away on a laptop. 

_ Great so Cherry’s breaking the law again, _ Joe scrubbed his face with a clean dish rag and began to pace around his empty restaurant.  __ “Don’t you think we should just  _ ask _ Reki about it?” 

Cherry scoffed at Joe’s suggestion, “ _ Ah yes! Great idea! Let’s just walk up to Reki and ask ‘Hey Reki were you ever or are you currently being abused?’  _ Honestly, at least pretend to have half a brain!” 

A now deeply offended Joe started to shout at his phone, “Well MAYBE hacking into the police files and committing a FELONY isn’t the answer here, besides Reki trusts us….” Joe’s voice trailed off, as he realized if Reki truly trusted them he would have told them. 

The knots in Joe’s stomach began to increase and suddenly felt like they were suffocating, as he leaned his back against the wall he began to wonder if Reki ever truly trusted him. 

He slowly slid down the wall and took the phone away from his ear and looked at the picture again, zooming in on the scar.  _ It’s hard to see, maybe he really did just accidentally fall? No Reki says concerning things at times. What if he’s actually in danger right now and I’m doing nothin-  _

“Kojiro!” 

Snapping back to reality Joe remembered Cherry was still on the phone, and after clearing his throat Joe answered, “Yes Kaoru?” 

“There’s nothing here.” 

“What do you mean nothing is there?” 

“ _ There’s no records of anything, the files are corrupted, there’s no reports of domestic violence within the last three years.”  _

Joe was confused as to why Cherry was so angry, “Isn’t that…. good?” He paused for a moment before continuing, “This means that we’re either overthinking this situation or it’s past abuse, right?”

Cherry and Joe remained silent for a long period of time both just listening to the others' breath and trying to decide what they should do. Both felt like they were sixteen again and trying to figure out if Adam was being abused or not, but Reki  _ wasn’t _ Adam. **_They could help Reki._ **

_ They  _ **_had_ ** _ to be better this time around, this time they’re adults now. Not teenagers with no authority over their own lives. Adam was out of their reach and he became a person they didn’t recognize, but they would be damned if they allowed the same thing or something similar to happen to Reki.  _

“So,” Joe began trying to make a plan of action, but not knowing where to start, “What do we do now?” 

Cherry tapped his fingers on his laptop, a nervous habit, “We need more information, we need to know if Reki is in immediate danger or if the potential abuse was in the past.” 

Nodding along and getting off the floor to grab a notepad, “Okay so what red flags have you noticed?” 

“A couple days ago, Carla scanned Reki and noticed old bruises on his leg.” 

“Could be from skateboarding, what about a high pain tolerance and always being banaged?” 

“Also comes along with skateboarding and the recklessness of a teenager. What about the scar on his forehead?” Cherry shut his laptop and untied his hair to run his fingers through it trying to calm himself down. 

Joe didn’t answer, so Cherry continued, “There is  _ a 0.01% chance  _ that could be from skating, no matter how reckless the boy is.” 

Joe agreed,“So we watch him for now, and let him know we are trustworthy adults.” 

“Well at least, I’m a trustworthy adult” Cherry sighed. 

“OI!” Joe was  _ insulted _ .“Well, I’m the kid’s favorite. He'd come to me.” 

“Ha.” Cherry mocked, “I see you still operate under delusion” 

The conversation then shifted into a more comfortable banter, banter was safe, bantering was something Joe could do with Cherry forever. While he tried to ignore the growing anxiety building up in his stomach as he chatted with Cherry. 

Joe checked the time 2:50 am,  _ time sure does go by fast when talking to Kaoru, _ “Hey Kaoru, don’t you think it's time to turn in? Don’t you have your little tutoring session with the boys tomorrow?” 

Cherry rubbed his eyes, “I could function on thirty minutes of sleep and a caffeinated green tea.” Despite his claim, Cherry began to get ready for bed. 

“I think I’m just going to sleep in the restaurant tonight.” Joe winced,  _ Oops wasn’t supposed to tell Kaoru that.  _

A beat passed before Cherry hissed, “ _ Where  _ will you be sleeping tonight?” 

With a gulp, Joe replied, “The restaurant.” 

“And why will you be sleeping in the restaurant?”

_ Not this again, Kaoru does this  _ **_everytime_ ** . “Because I don’t want to waste time driving home just to come back in three hours.” 

Cherry was losing patience,  _ why doesn’t Joe understand he has to take care of himself before his business, _ “Must you open up at six am every morning? Who goes to a restaurant at six am on a Saturday?” 

“Oi, I’m a grown man” Joe  _ hates  _ having this conversation with Cherry, “I’ll sleep where I see fit and open my restaurant besides sometimes Reki and Miya drop by early Saturday mornings.” 

“Are you telling me a middle schooler and a highschool will be awake and function at six in the morning on a Saturday _ when they don't have to be?”  _ Cherry just finished brushing his teeth and washing his face, “Besides the boys won’t have time to mess around with you if they’re up early. I’ll have them study with me.” 

Which reminded Cherry, “ Did you know Langa earned a B+ on his Traditional Japanese quiz?” 

Joe beamed, “No kidding? Our Langa actually got something above a C in Traditional Japanese?” As Joe pulled out the futon he kept in his office at the restaurant and pulled his emergency bag of toiletries and a change of clothes. “And to think the boy could barely write a sentence a couple months ago.” 

“Well of course,” Cherry swelled with pride, “I am tutoring him myself of course. I expect nothing less from any of the boys. I also wagered I would skate a beef against him if he earned an A on his test next week.” 

Joe sucked in his next break through his teeth, “Oooo, Looks like you got roped in to whatever Shadow’s stuck in now.”  _ What are the boys planning? Shadow owes Langa something and now Kaoru is skating a beef too? Not that Langa would ever beat Kaoru but still….  _ “Aye Kaoru, did Langa say what he wanted from the beef?” 

As Cherry moisturized his face, “No. He did not. Why?” 

Cherry was now growing suspicious, he  _ still _ didn’t know what the boys were making Shadow do, usually it's something harmless,  _ except when it's not. _ “Did they tell you anything Kojiro?” 

“Maaaaaaybe,” Joe teased Cherry as he finished getting ready for bed,  _ Kaoru is going to lose it if he thinks the boys told me and now him.  _ “If I did or didn’t know I would not be able to share that information with you.” 

_ “KOJIRO!”  _ Cherry all but growled at him. 

Unable to resist the urge to laugh Joe exploded with laughter, causing Cherry to blush slightly  _ not that anyone would ever know.  _

Once Joe finally sobered up, “Honestly Kaoru, do you think the boys would tell me and not you?” Joe wiped a tear from laughing before teasing Cherry some more, “You are their  _ mother  _ after all.” 

“You need to stop encouraging Miya.” Cherry’s face was now as red as a cherry.  _ Does Kojiro honestly think he is the only one who can play this game? _ “But you know what they say a child is always closer to their mother than father, so I don’t even know why I even considered that they would tell you anything over me.” 

Joe sputtered. “ _ They tell me things! _ ” 

“Hmmm.” 

“They  _ do _ !” Joe protested. 

Cherry made himself comfortable under the blanks as he imagined Joe sleeping on the floor of his restaurant again an uneasy feeling crept up in his stomach. “Kojiro.” 

The way Cherry suddenly said his name,  _ may or may not have caused a swarm of butterflies to erupt in his stomach _ , Joe swallowed, “Yes, Kaoru?” 

“Despite your obvious shortcomings as a man who is more focused on building muscle than ensuring his own health, you aren’t a complete waste of a father figure.” Joe who was fluent in Cherry, blushed ever so slightly, knowing Cherry thinks he would be a good father or at least a good father figure.

“You too Kaoru. You too” Joe closed his eyes as he laid on the futon listening to the slowing of Cherry’s breathing as he fell asleep. 

After a couple of minutes Joe asked, “Kaoru are you still up?” 

Joe waited for a response but only heard soft breathing over the phone. After a couple more minutes of just listening to the Kaoru sleep peacefully. He whispered something into the phone as he muted himself before falling asleep. 

Being the light sleeper that he is, Cherry always wakes up to Joe’s snoring, and while Joe  _ knows  _ his snoring can’t be  _ that bad _ he didn’t want to risk disrupting Cherry’s very few hours of sleep. 

Joe wouldn’t be able to tell you how long it took him to fall asleep, but he always seems to sleep better listening to Cherry's breathing. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hi Everyone!!!
> 
> This one isn't my favorites :( but I do love Joe n Cherry's relationship! I also think the parents needed a moment to talk about Reki the next one is better I promise!!! Thanks for reading and as always let me know what you think!!! 
> 
> Oh and is anyone curious to what Langa (and Reki) are planning? ;)
> 
> Please let me know what you think and make sure to drink some water today guys!!!💖💖💖💖💖💖


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